Rubio Signals Vatican Not A Broker In Russia-ukraine Peace Deal After Offer To Host Talks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Saturday that while the U.S. appreciates Pope Leo XIV's offer to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the Vatican is not likely to help broker a peace deal in Eastern Europe.

When asked if he intended to discuss the over three-year-long war during his meeting with Italian officials, Rubio said "Yes."

"Yes, and we thank the Holy See for its willingness to be involved in this process," the secretary added. "Obviously there are a number of countries that have offered that as well, but we think it would be — we’ll talk about that, the status of the talks, the updates after yesterday, and the path forward."

A top Catholic official earlier this week told negotiators they were free to use the Vatican to continue brokering a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, saying "it is an availability of place." The offer came after Russian President Vladimir Putin skipped discussions in Turkey earlier this week.

Rubio was asked whether the Vatican would serve as a broker in the deal — especially after the pontiff openly called for a truce in the conflict.

"Well, I wouldn’t call it a broker. But it certainly is a place that I would think that both sides would be comfortable coming," he said, while honoring the Catholic Church for its efforts thus far to promote peace.

"So, we are grateful for their longstanding efforts not simply on trying to broker peace but on the exchanges of prisoners; there are children that have currently been taken from their homes that the Ukrainians would like to see returned," he continued. "And they, the Holy See, has been very involved in that regard."

The secretary added, "So we’ll talk about that and all of it, and obviously always grateful for the willingness of the Vatican to play this constructive and positive role."

The Vatican served as the location for a recent meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who were both in Rome for Pope Francis's funeral.

Vice President Vance is also expected to travel to Vatican City on Sunday with a U.S. delegation to attend the inauguration mass for Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff.

Rubio's remarks came after negotiators met in Istanbul earlier this week. President Trump and Putin were notably absent, though Zelensky made the trek.

Trump has in recent days appeared to be losing patience with both sides of the war as ceasefire talks stretch on. Rubio and the president have both signaled that an agreement — such as a pending 30-day ceasefire proposal — would likely require the U.S. and Russian leaders to meet face-to-face.